Recently, we highlighted the main reasons why a cloud phone system helps organizations dramatically reduce their telecommunications costs.
However, while saving money is always a winning strategy, there are several other reasons why more and more businesses, government agencies and educational institutions are choosing a cloud phone system — and one of the most compelling is that it measurably increases employee efficiency.
Here are 3 key ways that a cloud phone system helps organizations get more out of their workforce:
- Cloud Phone Systems Gets New Hires On-the-Grid Right Away
With a conventional landline phone system, it can take weeks for new hires to get their own phone number. Until then, they either have to share a number with a colleague, or all of their calls are automatically routed to a voicemail box that they must check throughout the day (and perhaps the evening as well). Neither of these are efficient, and they certainly don’t enhance customer experience.
On the other end of the spectrum, with a cloud phone system organizations can immediately give new hires — regardless of whether they work in-house or remotely — their very own number or extension. This enables them to get on-the-grid rapidly, and be efficient and productive from day one.
- Cloud Phone Systems Streamline Communication
In just a few years, we’ve gone from email being the best thing to happen to workplace communication in, well, forever, to being overwhelmed by an epidemic of email overload. According to statistics published in Harvard Business Review, email takes up a whopping 23% of the average employee’s workday, and the average employee sends and receives a staggering 112 emails per day.
A cloud phone system streamlines communication by connecting all employees on a centralized, single platform where they can check each other’s status in real-time (e.g. available, on the phone, busy, away, etc.), send/receive instant messages, and jump on an audio or video call with a single click — which isn’t just faster and easier, but it eliminates tedious dialing errors.
Now, does this eliminate email from the work landscape? No — since that’s not possible (or even desirable!). But it certainly does shrink the virtual email mountain, so that employees can be more efficient and less distracted.
- Cloud Phone Systems Track and Optimize Performance
Increasing efficiency — but without compromising quality assurance and other standards — can be done at the employee level; and the two examples above illustrate how a cloud phone system makes this happen. For example, literally within minutes of joining the team, a new hire can get his or her own phone number, and send/receive an instant message (instead of yet another email!) to any colleague, regardless of where they’re located.
However, to boost efficiency organizations also need to look at performance management, and once again a cloud phone system helps make this happen. For example, executives can:
- Analyze whether a recently-launched customer knowledge portal is reducing the volume and duration of support calls.
- Optimize staffing levels based on call volumes, and if necessary, launch a recruitment campaign to maintain customer experience standards.
- Monitor call durations, and identify whether employees need coaching or training to satisfy more customers in less time.
These are just some of the ways that a cloud phone system generates valuable data-driven intelligence to optimize performance management, and improve employee efficiency at the team and individual levels.
To learn more about how a cloud phone system will make your employees more efficient — and your organization leaner, stronger and more competitive — contact the Carolina Digital Phone team today at (336) 544-4000. Your consultation with us is free.